This week, the GDA attended the U.S. Green Building Council’s Benchmarking Jam (an event to educate the public about Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager program) in order to learn about ways to help our member restaurants save money through conserving energy and rebate programs. This article is a summary of what we learned – cliffnotes for restaurants and homeowners so they can reduce their energy consumption.
- Benchmarking is a way to measure the energy you currently use and compare it to other, similarly sized operations. Ranking yourself with your peers can determine what can be done differently to improve efficiency and save cash. As Energy Star says on their website, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Without checking the peaks an valleys of your regular energy use, you can’t understand what steps you can take to reduce your consumption.
- Measuring usage is a great way to start a plan for saving energy. Steps to conserve energy use start with “low-hanging fruit,” which tend to be easy and free: using daylight instead of lights whenever possible, unplugging “energy-vampires,” or appliances that suck energy while not in use, and plugging clusters of appliances into power strips for control over power use.
- Plans that aren’t free but are reasonably priced with quick paybacks involve weatherization, buying efficient equipment, and LED light bulbs.
Ameren provides rebates for LED bulbs. New LEDs have been made in a variety of styles, including Edison bulbs, that fit in nearly any fixture.
- Steps that are more expensive involve HVAC systems and big-ticket items for kitchens like steam tables, hoods, and walk-in coolers.
- Luckily, the major utility providers in the St. Louis area provide rebates and incentives for businesses to reduce their fossil fuel consumption. Ameren has the BizSavers program, in effect until February of 2019, with custom incentives that restaurants can take advantage of. Laclede Gas offers businesses, especially restaurants, rebates for major equipment that reduce consumption of natural gas. These programs are great for reducing up-front costs on items that might otherwise seem too expensive.
- These incentives are not limited to business owners – homeowners can take advantage of fossil-fuel reduction programs as well. Ameren and Laclede Gas provide incentives and rebates that can substantially reduce the upfront cost of equipment, from light bulbs and programmable thermostats to furnaces and air conditioners.
- Look for the Energy Star logo when shopping for appliances – the star means that the item is has been vetted to be energy-efficient by a trusted third party source.
Being environmentally responsible and saving money often go hand-in-hand. Take advantage of available resources and make a difference to our planet and your wallet!
Look for the little blue star when shopping for equipment.
